approbation, of merit and demerit: of thefe terms he has no clear conception. Hence the endless. aberrations of rude and barbarous nations, from pure morality. Of the latter, there are many inftances collected in the preceding tract; and of the former, ftill more in the present tract. The fenfe of deity in dark times has indeed been strangely distorted, by certain biaffes and paffions that enflave the rude and illiterate: but thefe yield gradually to the rational faculty as it ripens, and at laft leave religion free to found philofophy. Then it is, that men, listening to the innate fenfe of deity purified from every bias, acquire a clear conviction of one fupreme Deity who made and governs the world.

The foregoing objection then weighs not against the moral fenfe. If it have weight, it refolves into a complaint against Providence for the weaknefs of the fenfe of deity in rude and illiterate nations. If fuch complaint be folidly founded, it pierces extremely deep why have not all nations, even in their nafcent ftate, the fenfe of deity and the moral fenfe in purity and perfection? why do they not poffefs all the arts of life without neceffity of culture or experience? why are we born poor and helpless infants instead of being produced complete in every member, internal and external, as Adam and Eve were? The plan of Providence is far above the reach of our weak criticisms it is but a fmall portion that is laid open to our view; can we pretend to judge of the whole? I venture only to fuggeft, that as, with respect to individuals, there is a progrefs from infancy to maturity; fo there is a fimilar progrefs in every nation, from its favage ftate to its maturity in arts and fciences. A child that has just conceptions of the Deity and of his attributes would be a great miracle; and would not fuch knowledge in a favage be equally fo? Nor can I

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discover what benefit a child or a favage could reap from fuch knowledge; provided it remained a child or a favage in every other refpect, The genuine fruits of religion, are gratitude to the Author of our being, veneration to him as the fupreme being, abfolute refignation to the established laws of his providence, and chearful performance of every duty but a child has not the flightest idea of gratitude nor of veneration, and very little of moral duties; and a favage, with refpect to thefe, is not much fuperior to a child. The formation and government of the world, as far as we know, are excellent: we have great reafon to prefume the fame with respect to what we do not know and every good man will rest fatisfied with the following reflection, That we fhould have been men from the hour of our birth, complete in every part, had it been conformable to the fyftem of unerring Providence,

SECT. II.

Morality confidered as a branch of duty to our Maker.

Having travelled long on a rough road, not a

little fatiguing, the agreeable part lies before us; which is, to treat of morality as a branch of religion. It was that subject which induced me to undertake the history of natural religion; a fubject that will afford falutary inftruction; and will inspire true piety, if inftruction can produce that effect.

Bayle states a queftion, whether a people may not be happy in fociety, and be qualified for good government, upon principles of morality fingly, without any fenfe of religion. The question is ingeni

ous,

ous, and may give opportunity for fubtile reafoning; but it is ufelefs, because the fact supposed cannot happen. The principles of morality and of religion are equally rooted in our nature: they are indeed weak in children and in favages; but they. grow up together, and advance toward maturity with equal fteps. Where the moral fenfe is entire, there must be a fense of religion; and if a man who has no fenfe of religion live decently in fociety, he is more indebted for his conduct to good temper than to found morals.

We have the authority of the Prophet Micah, formerly quoted, for holding, that religion, or, in other words, our duty to God, confifts in doing juftice, in loving mercy, and in walking humbly with him. The laft is the foundation of religious worship, difcuffed in the foregoing fection: the two former belong to the present fection. And if we have gratitude to our Maker and Benefactor, if we owe implicit obedience to his will as our rightful fovereign, we ought not to feparate the worship we owe to him, from justice and benevolence to our fellow-creatures; for to be unjuft to them, to be cruel or hard-hearted, is a tranfgreffion of his will, no lefs grofs than a total neglect of religious worship. "Mafter, which "is the great commandment in the law? Jefus "faid unto him, Thou fhalt love the Lord thy "God with all thy heart, with all thy foul, and "with all thy mind. This is the firft and great

commandment. And the fecond is like unto

it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf. "On these two commandments hang all the law " and the prophets (a)" "Then fhall the King "fay unto them on his right hand, Come, ye bleffed "of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for 66 you. For I was hungry, and ye gave me meat:

(a) Matthew, xxi, 36.

❝ I was

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"I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a ftranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ce ye cloathed me: fick, and ye vifited me in. prison, and ye came unto me. Then fhall the righteous anfwer, faying, Lord, when faw we thee hungry, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When faw we thee a ftranger, and took thee in? or naked, and cloathed thee? "When faw we thee fick, or in prifon, and came unto thee? And the King fhall anfwer, Verily I fay unto you, in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, 66 ye have done it unto me (a)." "Pure religi.. on and undefiled before God, is this, To vifit the fatherlefs and widow in their affliction; and to keep himself unfpotted from the world (b)." "Hoftias et victimas Domino offeram quas in ufum mei protulit, ut rejiciam ei fuum munus? Ingratum eft; cum fit litabilis hoftia bonus animus, et pura mens, et fincera confcientia, Igitur qui innocentiam colit, Domino fupplicat; qui juftitiam, Deo libat; qui fraudibus abstinet, propitiat Deum; qui hominem periculo fubripit, optimam victimam cædit. Hæc noftra facrificia, hæc "Dei facra funt. Sic apud nos religiofior eft ille,

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qui juftior* (c)." The laws of Zaleucus, lawgiver to the Locrians, who lived before the days of Pythagoras, are introduced with the following preamble. "No man can queftion the existence

of Deity who obferves the order and harmo"ny of the univerfe, which cannot be the pro"duction

(a) Matthew, xxv. 34. (b) James, i. 27. (c) Minucius Fœlix.

* "Shall I offer to God for a facrifice thofe creatures which his bounty "has given me for my use? It were ingratitude to throw, back the gift upon the giver. The most acceptable facrifice is an upright mind, an "untainted conscience, and an honest heart. The actions of the innocent afcend to God in prayer; the obfervance of juftice is more grate"ful than incenfe; the man who is fincere in his dealings, fecures the "favour of his Creator; and the delivery of a fellow creature from dan"ger or destruction, is dearer in the eyes of the Almighty than the fa"crifice of blood."

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"duction of chance. Men ought to bridle their "paffions, and to guard againft every vice. God "is pleafed with no facrifice but a fincere heart; "and differs widely from mortals, whose delight "is fplendid ceremonies and rich offerings. Let juftice therefore be ftudied; for by that only can a man be acceptable to the Deity. Let "those who are tempted to do ill, have always "before their eyes the fevere judgements of the gods against wicked men. Let them always keep 66 in view the hour of death, that fatal hour which "is attended with bitter remorfe for tranfgref

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fing the rules of justice. If a bad difpofi"tion incline you to vice, pray to heaven at the "foot of the altar to mend your heart."

Morality is thus included in religion. Some nations, however, leave not this propofition to reafoning or conviction, but ingrofs many moral dudies in their religious creed. In the 67th chapter of the Sadder, a lie is declared to be a great fin, and is discharged even where it tends to bring about good. So much purer is the morality of the ancient Perfians than of the prefent Jefuits. The religion of the people of Pegu, inculcates charity, forbids to kill, to steal, or to injure others. Attend to the confequence: that people, fierce originally, have become humane and compaffionate. In a facred book of the ancient Perfians, it is written, "If you incline to be a faint, give good

education to your children; for their virtuous "actions will be imputed to you." The people of Japan pay great refpect to their parents, it being an article in their creed, That thofe who fail in duty to their parents, will be punished by the gods. In these two inftances, religion tends greatly to connect parents and children in the most intimate tie of cordial affection. The reverence the Chinese have for their ancestors, and the ceremonies performed annually at their tombs, tend

to